Bar-winged Flycatcher-shrike – nesting

“I was privileged to see two different pairs of Bar-winged Flycatcher-shrikes (Hemipus picatus intermedius) nesting on the same day. One had just completed their nest and were incubating. The other had one chick that they were feeding. Both were located on bare, dead trees 10-12 meters up. The nest is a small compact cup that barely accommodates the incubating adult or the growing chick.

“The above image shows the male and that below the female incubating the egg/s.

“As I was in the area watching other birds, I had an opportunity to keep an eye on their general nesting behaviour. Usually only one adult would be at the nest incubating, but at time both would be present. On two occasions I saw one adult chasing the other back into the nest. I have seen this behaviour often with Pied Fantails in my garden. It seemed to me that the female spent more time incubating than the male and that when she left the nest to feed, at times, the male harried her back.

“The images above and below show the pair feeding the chick. Both parents were involved with feeding and I was not able to see any difference in frequency.